In most ways, I’d say that I have my dream job. I mean… I make and take pictures of doughnuts and cookies for a living. I had no idea that was even a possibility for me when I was in college writing essays about the Harlem Renaissance. No idea. I feel lucky to combine my love of dough and words here on this blog. If you want me to talk about the Harlem Renaissance we can, though my essay writing abilities aren’t as polished. A topic sentence?… please don’t make me do it.
I’m living in my dream job. Some days it feels like more job than dream… but that’s just the nature of having tasks to do. Because I’m greedy and have a healthy day-dreaming imagination, I entertain several daydream dream jobs in my mind. You should see what a good drummer I am in my mind’s eye. I’m amazing, but you’ll have to take my word for it.
A Daydream Dream Job is a job that you often picture yourself doing, free of the boundaries of age, lifestyle, and actual skill or ability. It’s out there, and so what!?
Other than the current dream job, where I photograph doughnuts on my living room floor, here are a few of my most daydreamed dream jobs. They range from ridiculous, to just… head-shaking no:
• Dream Job 1: Backup dancer for a Beyonce. In my mind backup dancers strike a lot of poses, wear bright red lipstick, and have flamboyant but supportive dance moves. Essentially, I’d like to dance next to the spotlight and be Beyonce’s cheerleader. Unfortunately I don’t have long hair to whip around, my body doesn’t twerk, and I incorporate way too much thumb into my dance moves.
• Dream Job 2: Anonymous advice column author. My advice would be a cross between my mom, the cashier at the grocery with purple hair and the most epic acrylic nails, and this guy. Essentially my advice would be a string of ‘giirrrlll, don’t play’ statements and affirmations.
• Dream Job 3: A drummer. My dream job is to be the drummer for the Foo Fighters. I know, the Foo Fighters already have an excellent drummer. That’s no problem, I want to BE Taylor Hawkins. Specifically, I want to be Taylor Hawkins playing The Pretender. I basically AM Taylor Hawkins when I’m driving alone in my car blasting that song. Again, you’ll have to take my word for it. (I’m shaking my head no… I’m awful).
• Dream Job 4: An ER Doctor alongside Anthony Edwards, Noah Wiley, and youthful George Clooney. I want to be an ER doctor among the original cast of the 90’s television drama ER. Don’t worry, this is a totally realistic dream job. You’re right, pipe dream. How about I just be Juliana Margulies before she goes to med school? Good dream job compromise? I thought so. (I confident that only two of you reading this have any idea what I’m talking about. I can’t help the specificity of my daydreams.)
Tell me tell me! What’s your daydream dream job? Does it involve Beyonce? Probably a little bit.
Tara
I want to do a salad truck for the area where I live. There aren’t enough quality fresh salad places and there’s a high demand and plenty of hevaily concentrated business areas. I’d start with salads and add soups in fall/winter and take it from there. Simple, quality product for less than what they are charging elsewhere.
momistabeginnings
I think my Daydream Dream Job is pretty practical. I want to be an awesome, bad-ass photographer. I want to be sought after, desired and celebrated. That’s how good I want to be. I want to capture amazing, breathtakingly beautiful moments for families. BUT…I’d also love to be called on for magazine features, fashion and modeling and even work across the world photographing wildlife, landscapes, ancient ruins, unique cultures, extreme sports, vacation spots. I’d love photography to take me around the world to capture it’s most beautiful sights. That…would be awesome. -Misty
Bonnie
I love your 4. I don’t want to be an ER doc — too much blood. But working alongside Noah Wylie? Yessss!
Quinn
I’m a little late to add but I’ve been thinking about my dream jobs since I read this a few days ago and figured why not add since it has been thought provoking….
1. Pop Up Bake shop owner
2. Middle Reader book author, around 2-4 grade
3. Farmer of exotic herbs. Think cumin grown in a lemon grove so it has the essence of lemon, etc. 4. Secret Agent
Maybe it’s time to work on some of these while I do my SAHM job as well as a part-time job. I feel like I’m both but if I carve out some time to practice the others it may make it better for everything but my waistline!
megeowyn
Oh my gosh, the ER doctor got me! When I was in my last year of high school I kept saying to my mother, ‘I think I’ll apply for nursing’ and she said ‘you only say that on Fridays because ER is on on Thursdays Meg – nursing isn’t just Carol Hathaway, there’s a lot of cleaning up old people too you know’ (it should be noted that I loved Dr Carter more than Clooney’s character).
Nowadays I write public policy, but think my dream job would be in the costume department for some kind of BBC period drama…
catherinemariekelly
I feel like I’m living it… cooking for farmer’s in Saskatchewan, Canada… 12-15 farmer’s out there and I get to cook and deliver meals to them… and blog about it…
meredithleyenhorst
Joy, we need to be best friends I have always said my dream job is being a Beyonce backup dancer, no word of a lie. It’s like my tagline. You are great.
Amie M
Travel blog writer, with the hubs as the photographer.
Melissa M
Oh, Joy! I AM an ER doctor, and I want to quit my job and be you! I don’t look nearly as fabulous in scrubs as, well, anyone on the TV. And the more of your recipes I make, the more true that is!
joythebaker
let’s trade for a day! (worst idea ever…)
kate
My daydream dream job would be:
1) international shopper
2) restaurant reviewer
3) the Next Terry Gross (maybe an actual real dream job — I used to work in public radio)
4) YA book reviewer
5) working right alongside with you, Noah Wyle, George Clooney, and Anthony Edwards
6) a gig at Empire Records (damn the man!)
jemofthesouth
OMG! I love this! I especially love #2. I think I could do that job as well and I think I would say this a lot” Yassssss.” LOL! And I totally remember ER so I get it! I hated it when the cast changed and when it finally went off the air. *tear*. My dream job would definitely be to bake and write about it for a living. An outlandish dream job would be to have a podcast to talk about current events with my own spin on it. Anonymously, of course. :-)
Kate
Easy: Librarian for a children’s lit collection, like the University of Minnesota. I did a case study on it in library school and fell in love. Number 2 would be a food-related library or archive.
Sadly, my current job has zero to do with being a librarian, much less cool libraries!
Valerie
This is such a great post! I actually love my current job, an Event Manager for a Convention Center. But in my daydreams I’d; a) own a beautiful winery in the Santa Maria foothills, b) work for a high end boutique hotel chain and go open up all their properties in exotic locations, c) be a Broadway star.
Desha
Ahhh daydreaming about dream jobs. My specialty.
1. I’m gonna go all pipe dream here and say pop star, but seriously, that would be amazing seeing as how I’m a pretty awesome shower singer but that’s about it.
2. Neonatologist. I’ve actually always really wanted to be a preemie baby doctor. I actually do work in the NICU now but not as an MD. A girl can dream…
3. Own my own little bakery with 4-5 specialty cupcakes a day and be known for my fantastic frosting because I’m a frosting girl at heart:)
ChannonD
What a fun dream job list Joy! You are best where you are though. Your talent with words, smiles and food all meld nicely right here.
I dream of being an astronaut (interstellar geologist), of being in charge of the Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian, of being an environmental attorney for EarthJustice or Sierra Club or the NRDC, of being able to create the art in my head (stained glass, tile mosaic, clothing, wood and metal sculpture), or of just being able to do the work I so loved once again – Environmental Compliance. I was great at it and I loved it. But it also made me sick and disabled. So now, I just dream of breathing freely and walking and cooking and dancing like I used to…